Danek
snow removing apparatus



March 14, 1967 J. c. DANEK 3,308,563

SNOW REMOVING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENTOR.

JOSEPH DAN'EK ATTORNEY March 14, 1967 c, EK 3,308,563

SNOW REMOVING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4a 3a 39 a5 52 v. 37

L 35 ANTI-R43 23 FIG. 5

INVENTOR. JOSEPH c. DANEK ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,308,563 SNOW REMOVING APPARATUS Joseph C. Danek, 9978 S. Nicholson Road, Oak Creek, Wis. 53154 Filed Nov. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 324,939 2 Claims. (CI. 37-12) My invention relates to improvements in snowplows, and more particularly to snowplows that are equipped with facilities for melting snow that has been removed from road or like surfaces.

The major purposes of the present invention are to create a snow removal machine which may be readily incorporated with existing motorized tractors such as are typified by road graders, to so arrange snow removal facilities that the same machine may advantageously work in relatively large and high banks of snow as well as working to clear newly fallen snow from streets, to arrange a snow removal machine with improved facilities which pick up and deliver snow to snow melting facilities, and to provide a novel conveying arrangement for use in a snow removal process so as to break up and pulverize the snow over a relatively wide swath and while delivering snow to disposal facilities.

The unit is simple in construction, easily manipulataed by central controls and conveniently actuated by a power take-off from the power unit acting as the driving means for the tractor on which the unit is mounted.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the entire assembled device mounted onto a conventional four-wheel tractor equipped with a cab for the operator;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the spiral guides which are oppositely disposed for placing the snow onto the scoop;

FIGURE 3 is a composite side view of the various parts constituting my invention in relation to one another during the plowing operation;

FIGURE 4 is a similar view as shown in FIGURE 3, with the top conveyor and spiral guides in a raised position; and

FIGURE 5 is a view as shown in FIGURE 4 with the plow or scoop raised as when the tractor acts as a motive unit to convey the entire assembled device.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and referring specifically now to the same, the character shows generally a tractor frame mounted on four wheels 11, and supporting a cab 12 which forms an enclosure for the operator while housing the usual steering wheel and control levers indicated at 13. The tractor assembly furnishes the motive power for the entire assembled unit and is equipped with a conventional engine, transmission and steering mechanism (not shown).

The engine is encased in the enclosure 14, and a power take-off enclosure 15 houses a driving means of any conventional design for rotating a snowplow drive shaft 16 supported by conventional bearings 17. The drive shaft 16 actuates a longitudinally extending upper conveyor 19 and a longitudinally extending lower conveyor 18 by means of either gears or pulleys shown diagrammatically as 20 in FIG. 1.

The lower conveyor belt 18 has drive pulleys or sprockets 21, and driven pulleys or sprockets 22, mounted on shafts 23 and 24 respectively, journaled in the frame 10. The conveyors 18 and 19 may be constructed of belts or chains, and are equipped with laterally disposed and longitudinally spaced cleats 25 on the conveyor 18 and 26 on the conveyor 19.

3,308,563 Patented Mar. 14, 1967 The upper conveyor 19 has a drive pulley or sprocket 27, which is mounted on a shaft 28 supported by the frame 10, and driven in opposite relation to the pulley or sprocket 21 by the driving means 20. Drive sprocket 28 is positioned above the upper reach of conveyor 18. A subframe 29, pivoted on the shaft 28, supports a driven pulley or sprocket 30 supported by a shaft 31 journaled in the member 29, which shaft 31 also supports a pair of spiral guides or augers 32 and 3 2' (see FIGURE 2). These guides are disposed on the opposite sides of the conveyor 19 and serve as laterally extending pulverizers and conveyors for moving snow laterally inwardly toward conveyor 19.

A scoop 33 is adapted to contact the pavement or the like being plowed, and has a forward edge provided with a blade 34. The scoop 33 has side walls 35 projecting upwardly and rearwardly, and is supported by a second subframe 36. This subframe is in the form of a channel underlying the bottom of the conveyor 19 while the sides of the channel are adapted to project above the lower reach of the conveyor 19 when conveyor 19 is in its lower positions. Subfrarne 36 is pivotally mounted about the axis of shaft 28. When the conveyor 19 moves in the direction indicated by the arrows, it will convey the snow within the channel in the member 36 to the top of the conveyor 18 to carry the snow upward.

The rear Wall of the scoop 35 has an opening which may receive the lower reach of conveyor 19. The spiral guides 32 and 32' have their outer peripheral edges 37 serrated as an additional aid in pulverizing snow and moving the snow from the walls 35 inward to the center for depositing it into the channel formed by the member 36.

A hopper 38 is mounted on the tractor frame 10 at the end of the conveyor 18 to receive the snow from the conveyor 18. Hopper 38 is open at its top and equipped with wings shown as 39. A burner 40 is positioned within the hopper 38, which burner may be of any conventional design, employing any type of heating medium supplied from a reservoir (not shown). The burner 40 has a deflecting plate shown as 41 disposed above it, which plate is heated by the flame of the burner and melts the snow deposited onto the top thereof. The melted snow or liquid is deposited in the bottom of the hopper tank 42, from where it may be withdrawn through the outlet 43, which may be controlled by valve means if desired.

A pair of drums 44 and 44', receive elevating cables 45 and 46 for the subframes 29 and 36, mounted onto a shaft 47 supported by conventional bearings 48 shown mounted to the enclosure 14.

Cable 45 passes over a pulley 49, and the cable 46 passes over a pulley 50. Both of these pulleys 49 and 50 may rotate on supporting shafts diagrammatically represented at 51, which are in turn supported by members diagrammatically represented at 52 and 53.

The cable 45 is attached at 54 to the member 36 supporting the scoop 33, so when the drum 44 is revolved the cable 45 may lift the scoop 33 in a position shown in FIG. 5. The cable 46 is attached at 55 to the member 29 so when the drum 44' is revolved, it may raise the member 29 and with it the conveyor 19 and the spiral guides 32 and 32' as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5. The rotation of the drums 44 and 44' may be effected by conventional mechanism driven by the tractor (not shown) and controlled by the operator controls 13 so the operator may raise or lower the spiral guides or the scoop at will.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the wide scoop, when motivated by the tractor, will cover a relatively wide path, and the snow will be moved inward toward the center of the unit so as to be conveyed to the hopper for melting.

In use, snow plows incorporating the principles of the invention described and illustrated herein may be advantageously used to clear newly fallen snow from streets and used also to clear relatively large banks of snow which have been left by other snow clearing apparatus.

The machine may be propelled along a right of way in which case the front scoop 33 cuts a relatively wide swath of snow. The lateral conveyors direct the snow from the scoop inwardly toward the medial portion thereof where it is moved backwardly with relation thereto due to the forward action of the machine as well as the conveying action of the conveyor 29. The snow travels up the channel 36, and as it builds up in the channel 36, it is positively engaged by the overlapping areas of the conveyors 29 and 18 and positively moved out of this channel space and upwardly for delivery to the melting facility 42.

The machine can advantageously work on relatively large banks of snow through a selected elevated position of conveyor 29. The machine may be driven into a bank of snow with the conveyor 29 and lateral conveyors at a selected elevation, as appears in FIGURE 4, so as to initially Work on upper layers of snow in a 'bank. Again, the lateral conveyors move the snow toward the middle of the scoop where conveyor 29 may work on the upper portion thereof for delivery to the conveyor 18. As the level of the bank of snow is diminished, the conveyor may be successively lowered, while working on the upper portion of the bank.

Further, when working on a large bank of snow, the machine may be driven into a bank with the conveyor 29 elevated as in FIGURE 4 to pulverize snow by the action of the conveying augers while moving the snow towards the center of the unit. The scoop 33 may then be elevated so as to lift some snow therewith for a more positive engagement with the lateral conveyors and to pulverize the same while moving it toward the delivery channel. Continued rotation of the lateral conveyors moves the snow toward the middle of the scoop where it may be engaged by conveyor 29 for movement along channel 26 and delivery to conveyor 18.

Whereas I have shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing and description thereof should be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will fall within the scope and spirit thereof and which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. A power operated conveyor loader for use with snow removal processes and the like including a motorized wheel supported frame, a scoop having supporting arms pivotally mounted on a pivot on said frame at a forward portion thereof, said scoop extending forwardly of said frame, a sub-frame having supporting arms pivotally mounted on said motorized frame at a forward portion thereof and at a location above the pivot for the arms of said scoop, cable means attached to the arms of said sub-frame and actuated by mechanism carried by said motorized wheel supported frame for moving said sub-frame in a vertically swinging path to a selected vertical height with respect to said motorized frame, cable means attached to the arms of said scoop and actuated by mechanism carried by said motorized wheel supported frame for moving said scoop in a vertically swinging path and to a selected vertical height with respect to said motorized frame, said sub-frame including an endless conveyor extending from a position above said scoop to a position rearwardly thereof, said sub-frame including lateral conveyer means positioned above said scoop and extending laterally from said endless conveyor on each side thereof, means for operating said lateral conveyors so as to move material from positions laterally of said endless conveyor to a position adjacent thereto, said scoop including a guiding surface cooperable with said endless conveyor for delivering material rearwardly from said scoop.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including snow melting means carried by said motorized frame at a rearward portion thereof and conveying means extending from said endless conveyor to receive material therefrom and to deposit the same in said snow melting means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,398,454 11/1921 Daniels 3712 2,639,022 5/1953 MacDonald 198-9 2,669,338 2/1954 Kling 198-9 2,696,814- 12/1954- Townsend.

2,709,312 5/1955 Seifert 37-190 2,977,955 4/1961 Altenburg 37l2 X FOREIGN PATENTS 634,932 1/ 1962 Canada.

ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner.

R. L. HOLLISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POWER OPERATED CONVEYOR LOADER FOR USE WITH SNOW REMOVAL PROCESSES AND THE LIKE INCLUDING A MOTORIZED WHEEL SUPPORTED FRAME, A SCOOP HAVING SUPPORTING ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON A PIVOT ON SAID FRAME AT A FORWARD PORTION THEREOF, SAID SCOOP EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF SAID FRAME, A SUB-FRAME HAVING SUPPORTING ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID MOTORIZED FRAME AT A FORWARD PORTION THEREOF AND AT A LOCATION ABOVE THE PIVOT FOR THE ARMS OF SAID SCOOP, CABLE MEANS ATTACHED TO THE ARMS OF SAID SUB-FRAME AND ACTUATED BY MECHANISM CARRIED BY SAID MOTORIZED WHEEL SUPPORTED FRAME FOR MOVING SAID SUB-FRAME IN A VERTICALLY SWINGING PATH TO A SELECTED VERTICAL HEIGHT WITH RESPECT TO SAID MOTORIZED FRAME, CABLE MEANS ATTACHED TO THE ARMS OF SAID SCOOP AND ACTUATED BY MECHANISM CARRIED BY SAID MOTORIZED WHEEL SUPPORTED 